Amsterdam Street Art Walk: Underground

Welcome to the Underground

Amsterdam's graffiti scene emerged in the 1970s, inspired by New York's hip-hop culture and wild-style lettering. Writers first targeted train carriages and br…

The 5-Story Giant

Commissioned murals like this one can take a professional team multiple days to complete at full scale. At five storeys, the image must be designed to read cor…

Quiz: Street Art vs Graffiti

Graffiti focuses on lettering — tags, throw-ups, and pieces communicate primarily with other writers in the scene. Street art is image-led — murals, stencils,…

The Spray Can Evolution

The aerosol spray can was invented in 1949 — originally used for insecticide, not art. 'Fat caps' (wide nozzles) create thick fills; 'skinny caps' allow fine d…

The Legal Wall Wars

Legal walls were established in Amsterdam in the 1990s as a pragmatic compromise — giving writers a designated space without the threat of arrest. Some of the…

Quiz: The Tag Name

A graffiti 'tag' is the writer's stylised signature — the most basic unit of the art form, executed in one fast motion. Status in the scene comes from consiste…